Meet the women who turned beach cleanups into a global movement – and what was forgotten along the way

By Elsa Devienne, Assistant Professor in History, Northumbria University, Newcastle

In October 1984, volunteers on the coast of Oregon hauled away 26 tonnes of waste in a single day, most of it plastics. It was the first beach cleanup of its kind – part scientific survey, part environmental action – and it helped expose how the plastic industry was polluting the ocean.

Today, however, beach cleanups risk becoming feel-good exercises that let the industry off the hook. Over the decades, the focus shifted. And up until fairly recently, associated reports no longer…

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